![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Fantasy sports leagues take off as professional seasons begin
The varsity football team practices an offensive play during practice. Several Upper School students take part in fantasy sports leagues.
Do you have what it takes to put together the perfect sports team? National sports leagues offer you the chance to put together teams in your own way while competing with other team managers.
First you decide the league to participate in. Private leagues are usually among friends, whereas public leagues extend much further and involve cash prizes and trophies. Then, the owner researches available fantasy players in order to rank them according to your preferences. At the beginning of the fantasy season, the draft takes place.
“So I decided to play [fantasy football] with my friends,” Sushant Thyagaraj (10) said. “We have our own private league at Harker with a few people which one of us created, and I find it pretty fun so far. This is my first experience with fantasy ever.”
During the fantasy draft, team managers draft professional players onto their teams. Managers must choose seven of those players to put in their starting lineups to face their opponent (this number varies for different sports). Individuals who have drafted a team must strategically decide which of their players they feel will perform well to help gain points for the fantasy team.
“I usually play fantasy basketball with my friends,” Andrew Gu (11) said. “The season has not started yet, but I like to participate in the draft with a couple of friends so we can get a couple of decent players instead of being super standard. Last year, our league fell apart because no one was there to manage it, but this year we hope to stay competitive.”
As the real players participate in games each week, each player’s actual stats are converted to fantasy points. If two fantasy teams choose to face off at the beginning of the week, their fantasy points are tallied at the end, where the team with more points wins. The strategy comes into play when the fantasy owner must choose who to keep and drop on their team based on weekly performance.
“I just check in once a week for the player stats,” Shasvat Jawahar (11) said. “This way I can pick the players that will go on my team. Also, I play fantasy basketball, but I guess the fantasy sports all work pretty similarly.”
As fantasy owners continue winning games, they move up the ladder to the playoffs. At the end of the fantasy season, teams in the playoffs participate in a single elimination tournament until one winner is determined.
“What I do is I look at the matchups and the stats to create my lineup, but you mostly use your gut and your feel to make the right choices,” Akhil Arun (10) said.
Additionally, team managers can initiate trades with each other. Since there is no other way to change initial team rosters, fantasy players are motivated to trade with others to form the perfect team. Fantasy sports seasons can vary in length depending on whether they are public or private leagues. Whether you are an avid sports fan or just a casual sports follower, fantasy sports can be good for expressing enthusiasm in sports with friends.
Vijay Bharadwaj (11) is one of the opinion editors for The Winged Post and Aquila. She served as the assistant opinion editor and the Wingspan copy editor...
Anika Rajamani (12) is a reporter for the Winged Post. This is her fourth year on staff. Outside of journalism, she loves to dance. Anika also loves to...